Blackout
by XNekoNariX
Summary: The weather was very weird that day. Nobody knew why, but it didn't feel good at all. Train stations shut down, Houses were caved in, and electricity was cut. The storm is only just beginning, what does it hold for the cast? And maybe, just maybe...this blizzard might help Shizuo with understanding how Izaya really feels on the inside. (Shizaya) {{DISCONTINUED}}
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welp. I've always wanted to write a fanfic on Shizaya, so Imma accomplish that goal. I have another story to get to, but I just wanted to post this first chapter before I forget about it. (｡ŏ﹏ŏ) I hope I portrayed everyone at least a _bit_ tolerable…. Sometimes the characters in the show are really unpredictable. Also, only the main original cast will be in this. It's easier, and I am not really fond of the new characters, so yeah. I'll let you read the story now! Don't let me keep you waiting~

CHAPTER 1: Weirdly Chaotic Weather

It was cold. No…it was _freezing_. When did it get so cold? Wasn't it just mildly cold a few hours ago? Doesn't it get hotter later in the day? All of these things were going through Shizuo Heiwajima's head as he took a small step out the door of his favorite Russian sushi restaurant. He exhaled a soft, warm breath, and watched as it floated in the air. It was snowing. His eyes gazed at the falling snow, it looked really beautiful dancing in the air.

"So free…it doesn't have a care in the world." He spoke softly. Oh how he wished it was that easy to be free.

The sound of footsteps tapping against fresh snow was heard behind him. He turned his head to see his manager Tom walking up next to him, holding a cigarette to his mouth and breathing in the nicotine just to breath it out slowly. "Don't freeze out here, Shizuo. You don't have a coat on to warm yourself up, and it's colder than usual out here." Tom said as he took another puff of his cigarette.

"I'll be fine, Tom. A little cold won't hurt." Shizuo breathed out.

"This isn't little, Shizuo. You'll freeze to death if you stay out here too long. Now, do as I say and go home. We have no more debts to collect today anyway." The debt collector looked over to his friend and smiled.

Shizuo glanced at him briefly before giving a light chuckle. "Alright, alright, I'll head back. You be careful too, okay?" At that, Tom nodded and they both gave a wave of goodbye before heading their separate ways. Shizuo didn't really feel like heading back to his apartment, so he chose to walk around the city for a while. He's not going to hang around for too long; still remembering his boss's warning.

He strolled down the sidewalks, noticing the seemingly emptiness of the city. There aren't many people outside, now that he pays attention to it. Is this weather really so different? He rounded the corner of the street and looked around, until he stopped in his tracks when he spotted something _very horrible_. The fur lining of a coat that could belong to no one else.

But the _**Flea**_.

No, not the type of flea that infects animals. The type of flea that causes havoc all over the city and watches, as it crumbles and shifts in front of his eyes. The information broker; **Izaya Orihara**. He could practically _smell_ the flea from here. The man was just casually trotting along the sidewalk, hands in his pockets and completely vulnerable. He looked pretty peaceful, humming to himself quite loudly as he happily made his way down the sidewalk. But that peace was not going to last for long.

Shizuo searched for the closest object near him, settling on a nice vending machine only arms reach away from him. He picked it up, ripping the cables and bolts that tied it to the ground out from under the machine, and hurled it at the sly informant broker. Izaya spun around and looked up, eyes widening in surprise for a moment before narrowing as he swiftly dodged the machine. He looked at Shizuo in amusement, eyes flickering with enjoyment as a wide smile appeared on his face.

"Oh Shizu-chan, I didn't expect you to be out here! How are you~?"

Shizuo didn't respond, instead he pulled the stop sign out of the ground and ran towards the raven full-force. Izaya ducked down as the sign swung where his head was, flipping back on top of one of the parked cars. He sighed and stuffed his hands in pockets. "It's not nice to ignore people, Shizu- chan. I didn't even do anything~" He pouted playfully and dodged another swing of the stop sign, hopping off the car and running down the sidewalk.

" _ **IZZZAAAYYAAAA!"**_ Yelled the blonde as he jumped off the car harshly, crushing the metal top of it to a pancake-like state. He hurled the stop sign at Izaya in hopes of it hitting the raven right in his stupid skull. But the informant broker just hopped to the side, looking back at Shizuo to stick his tongue out tauntingly. "You're gonna have to try harder than _that_ , Shizu-chan~!"

"Dammit, stay still flea!" He growled through gritted teeth as he chased after the raven. Said man waved a hand at him. "Now why would I do that~?" He teased without looking back. The bartender watched as Izaya rounded the corner. He was fast, no doubt about that. Shizuo followed after him, running around the corner just to spot Izaya happily running through the snow.

Wait….snow? Did the ground already get that covered? Well- apparently so, as he saw Izaya trip over something hidden in the snow and stumble a bit before doubling over and hitting his head on a pole. Shizuo caught up to him as Izaya stood up, wobbling a bit.

"Shit….not good.." The raven cursed to himself. Shizuo tried to catch his breath as he watched Izaya turn around, holding his forehead. He smiled, but it's not his usual smile. He's obviously in pain, trying to fake it all. "I'm gonna have to bolt, Shizu-chan~! I need to take care of something!" The blonde sighed, just realizing how clumsy the man is.

"You should probably have Shinra stitch that up for you. You're obviously too damn clumsy to take care of it yourself."

"…..Eh?" Izaya blinked confusedly. Shizuo groaned and took the ravens hand away from his forehead, looking at him intensely.

"I'm not dumb you know. I can tell you injured yourself pretty bad."

"I….don't know what you're talking about, Shizu-chan. Let go of my hand, please~" Izaya smiled nervously, now trying to wrench his hand out of the others grip.

"Fucking flea, stop trying to play it off!" Shizuo shook the informant broker, who was now floating just above the ground. He glared at the one in his grasp, the red eyes of the "flea" now showed a hint of fear surprisingly.

"Shizu-chan, please… **let go**. Don't you want me dead anyways…?" He's looking away. Trying to avoid making any eye contact with the blonde whatsoever. His statement sort of startled Shizuo, the man wasn't acting like himself.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" He asked.

"Why do you care?" His words were laced with venom, as were his eyes. They stared into golden ones, a deadly aura to them.

"I….don't." He let go of his hand, dropping the raven to the ground. He _shouldn't_ care, he _doesn't_. Maybe it's just that hint of sympathy he has for anyone in pain. In any case, he didn't intend to stay out here for this long. So he'll spare the flea for once. "Go to Shinra. Get your head fixed and head home, flea. I'm letting you off free this time. Scram." He waved off the other and turned around to head back.

The informant broker stood up and let out a large sigh. Whether it was to calm himself down or just in annoyance, it didn't matter. "You're being awfully nice, Shizu-chan~ Sure you won't regret this~?" He's back in his cheerful mood, smile plastered on his face again.

' _Guess letting go of his hand worked.'_ Shizuo thought. But that was still weirdly suspicious to him. Izaya never acted like that _. Ever._ Not that he should care, but it was still odd. His eyes moved and looked behind him. "I never regret anything. Now leave before I change my mind." The raven seemed to get the hint, spinning around and waving him off with a "Okay then~!" .

He really needs to get back, he's shivering a bit now. And that's definitely not good. So he started to walk back. He heard a buzz and looked up to see that the city TV was on, showing the news.

["In recent news, the weather is starting to change drastically. Subways can't make their ways to the stations from being caved in, as trains are blocked from getting to their own respective stations, being blocked by mountains of snow. It is suggested that all citizens find nearby shelters until the assumed storm dies down."]

Shizuo gave a large sigh and hung his head. "Great….now what? I can't get back home.." Saying that, he spotted Celty, driving over to him and stopping to get her PDA out. He raised an eyebrow in silent question, and she began tapping buttons.

 **["You can't get home, right? You can stay at Shinra and I's place. I'm pretty sure it would do you a lot of good as well, seeing as how you have almost no winter protection on."]**

Shizuo looked at Celty unsure. "Is it really alright? I know you guys don't have a big house or anything."

Celty tapped on her PDA again, showing it to him.

 **["It's fine. Shrina would love to have some company over. He needs a break after all the work he's done today."]**

Shizuo nodded and smiled. "Thanks. I know my boss wouldn't let me off the hook if I died of hypothermia out here." He joked. Celty's shoulders bounced up and down, displaying that she was chuckling. She patted the seat behind her on Dullahan and let Shizuo onto the bike before taking off.

Once they got to the house, Celty and Shizuo got off Dullahan and made their way upstairs, into Shinra's place. They opened the door and stepped in, firstly noticing that there were several other people here as well. Shizuo shrugged. The more the merrier he guesses. Shinra eventually made his way out into the living room, happily hugging Celty and welcoming her home. He turned to Shizuo and smiled.

"Nice to see you here, Shizuo. Sorry it's a bit crowded in here, Kadota and the others couldn't get home either." He led the two into the living room and sat them on the couches. It was increasingly warm in here compared to outside. It felt really nice against his cold skin. Shinra handed out cups of tea to everyone, and Kadota gladly took sip of it, lying back against the soft cushions.

"Ah….nothing like some hot tea to warm you up on a winter day."

"Yep! Too bad it isn't Earl Grey though…then I could feel like Ciel from Black Butler!" Erika chimed in.  
"Oh yes! Shinra serving us our Earl Grey tea like Sebastian, no less!" Walker piped up and Erika started giggling with him.

Shizuo looked towards the two otakus and sighed. "I have no idea what they're talking about…"

Shinra took a seat on the couch across from him and chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I don't get half the stuff they're saying either."

As the group talked, sharing small stories and having nice cups of tea to warm up, they eventually fell asleep. They had no idea how long they were asleep for before a hard knocking came to the door though. It woke them all up, but nobody actually got up to answer it. Shrina sighed and grumbled, picking up his glasses off the coffee table and walking over to the door to open it. The minute he opened it though, three kids stumbled through the door as a large cool blast of wind and snow forced it's way between the crack of the doorway. They instantly shuffled over to the couches, shivering quite a bit. Shizuo got up and decided to help the doctor close the door, as he seemed to be having trouble with it. Once they pushed it closed, They leaned against the door and looked over to the trio that just tackled their way in there.

The three smiled sheepishly before Mikado chose to speak up. "Sorry, this was the nearest place to where we were, and it's terrible out there."

Masaomi slammed a hand down on the ground and added to it. "Yeah, yeah! The news said there was even gonna be hail later! It's crazy!"

Shinra and Shizuo exchanged worried looks before darting for the remote and turning on the TV.

["Recent reports have shown that the chaotic weather is not dying down so soon. The wind force is picking up, and more chance of hail will be appearing later in the day. All stations are shut down, and citizens of Ikebukuro are ordered to find shelter and stay there throughout the night. In other news, Shinjuku is getting it worse, in massive snow storms as houses and even _apartments_ are being caved in by the huge amount of snow. All citizens around that area are to evacuate now, before storms reach higher levels. Thank y-."]

The TV powered off as all the lights in the house went out. Everyone was shocked already by the news, but now they don't have any light. Shinra shuffled around and went to the switches around the house, trying to turn them on but to no avail. "It looks like a power outage, everyone. It doesn't seem that we have electricity." Shinra stated calmly.

Celty typed on her PDA and showed it to everyone as they gathered around her.

 **["I'll find a flashlight or candles for later. Anyone know where Izaya is?"]**

Shrina frowned and held a hand up to his chin. "That's right, Izaya lives in Shinjuku…it's really rough there. Maybe I should call him. He's my friend after all, I have to know if he's okay." So he dialed a couple numbers into his phone. It rang once and stopped. A robotic voice came through saying that the line has been disconnected. He hung up and sighed. "Great…now I'm worried.."

Shizuo looked over at Shinra, confused. "He wasn't here earlier?"

Shinra looked slightly surprised by the question. "Uh, no. He wasn't. I haven't seen him since yesterday."

The blonde groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I _**told**_ him to come over here earlier! God, that idiotic flea can't stitch his own injury. What a nuisance."

"Wait, injury!? When was this!?" Shinra yelled, shocked.

"Goddamn flea tripped and injured his forehead on a pole while I was chasing him earlier. I specifically told him to get it fixed but of _course_ he doesn't listen." The bartender growled.

"Aww~ Shizuo is worried about Iza-Iza! How cute~!" Erika cooed, earning a light chuckle from Shinra and a roll of the eyes from Shizuo.

"Shizuo…I'm worried about him. I don't want him to get caved in and die of coldness, especially when the power is out! So….can you go out there and see if you can bring him here? By the time you come back, we'll be all set up, don't you worry." Shinra asked the blonde softly.

Shizuo rubbed the back of his neck and heaved a sigh. "Fine….but only because _I'm_ gonna be the one to kill him. So he's not allowed to die yet."

"Aw, a tsundere seme! Don't see many of those these days, do we?" Erika sung as Walker joined in by agreeing, resulting in them laughing together as they pointed out the semes in anime.

Shinra sighed and went into the other room, coming back a few minutes later with a scarf and coat for Shizuo. "Here, put these on. You'll be sick in an instant if you don't." He handed them out to Shizuo and the bartender took them gratefully, putting the clothing on. It fit quite well, actually. It was pretty comfortable.

Shinra smiled and looked out the window. "It's still pretty light out right now. Use your phone in case you need a light source or if you have to call us. Be careful, okay?" Shizuo walked over to the door and opened it, letting a huge gust of icy wind blast through.

"Got it, I'll make sure to bring the flea back safely too." He spoke before closing the door behind him as he walked into the frosty weather.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you all for your reviews and stuffs I appreciate it~! As thanks I will update as fast as I can. So prepare yourselves! (ര̀ᴗര́)و ̑̑

 **P.S:** Look who learned how to use lines~.+:｡(ﾉ･ω･)ﾉﾞ

* * *

CHAPTER 2: It's Not Supposed to End Like This

The minute Izaya spun around and that stupid bartender was no longer focusing on him, his smile dropped. His feelings were a bit mixed right now, irritating the young man a bit. He stuffed his cold hands into his coat pockets for potential warmth, not caring about the open wound still on his forehead, just assuming it'll freeze up or scab over from the cold weather. His right hand hurt, sore from Shizuo holding onto it too hard when he was thrashing the raven about. What was his problem anyway? All he did was hit his head on a pole, perhaps making a deep gash so he felt extremely dizzy and mostly in pain.

Well….that did sound pretty bad. But why would the _monster_ care? He's his _enemy_. His arch-nemesis as cliché as that sounds. They **hate** each other. They loathe one another so bad, that they want each other **dead**.

" _You should probably have Shrina stitch that up for you. You're obviously too damn clumsy to take care of it yourself."_

"Tch, stupid protozoan. You don't know me." Izaya huffed as he walked his way to Shinjuku.

 _Yes_ , he was going back to Shinjuku. Because he sure as _hell_ wasn't obeying the idiots orders and getting help. It's not like he needed any.

" _Go to Shinra. Get your head fixed and head home, flea. I'm letting you off free this time. Scram."_

He kicked a pebble, watching it fly into one of the many bushes around him. "Silly Shizu-chan, why did you let me off free after all the times you've tried to kill me~? Did you really feel sympathy for me? Pity?" His eyes narrowed. "I don't any pity…from _you!"_ He kicked another one, harder this time. It shot into one of the building walls and broke. He was dissatisfied by that, expecting the rock to last longer. But it was just too weak. He sighed and continued on, trudging through the increasing amount of snow the farther he walked. The trains and subways were probably down in this weather, he assumed. Plus, the walk isn't too long if he entertains himself with something.

But that isn't so easy when the last thing that happened is your _fucking rival worrying about you._ Oh don't get him wrong, he would _love_ to forget about what happened. Except he can't stop asking **why**.

 _ **Why oh why oh**_ _ **whywhywhyWHY**_ did that asshole of a bartender tell him to get it fixed?

It shouldn't anger him this much, yet it _did._ The monster of Ikebukuro shouldn't have a heart. Out of all things he should definitely not show it to **Izaya**. Even if it was only a slight sense of worry, simply telling the man to get it checked out and scram, he didn't _like it_. And he never _will_ like it either. Sure, he was vulnerable. He never planned to hit his forehead on a pole after all. But the monster could've just beaten him up right there. The raven was cornered; dizzy. For a brief moment, he wasn't in a state to defend himself.

And yet, the blonde just gave him a short lecture and spared him.

At this point in thought, Izaya felt his ankles getting exponentially cold. He looked down at his boots and noticed that the snow has gotten up to the level of his ankles. He frowned and raised an eyebrow at this. "Hmm…guess I lost my chance to frolic in the snow for a while. What a bummer~" He shrugged and chose to walk faster to his apartment, deciding not to risk getting caught out in the unfortunate weather. He chose to get his mind off the earlier topic by counting the snowflakes falling down. He knew it was a useless activity, seeing as how there's millions of snowflakes falling down which make it impossible to count them all. Yet he did it anyways, because it was soothing and refreshing. He hummed once more as he walked in the snow, eventually coming up to his apartment building.

He took the elevator up to his floor and used the key in his back pocket to open the door to his place. It was definitely warmer than outside, that's for sure. He happily walked in and shut the door, earning a groan from Namie. Looking where she was standing, he noticed that she was turning up the temperature. Her index finger was pressing the up arrow rapidly, it was fast enough for Izaya to think that she might break the thing if she presses any harder. The raven walked over to his workplace and gracefully planted himself into his swivel chair.

"Try not to turn my apartment into a boiler room, Namie-san~!" Izaya teased as he gazed out the large windows, lips curling into his usual smile.

The woman slammed her fist against the wall, facing Izaya in annoyance. "It's impossible to make this place into a boiler room! Damn thing won't go higher than 70 degrees!"

The informant broker shrugged, spinning circles in his chair. "I feel totally fine ~! Don't be such a pessimist~"

"Ugh, you're unbelievable! I'm done with my work here anyways, I'm going to see Seiji!" Namie growled as she gathered up her things and went out the door, slamming it closed.

Izaya stared at the door for a while. It was quiet now, zero disturbances present. Nobody could bother him while he did his work. He still kind of wished she stayed longer, though. Having somebody to keep him company in general wouldn't hurt. But sadly, she left. The raven gave a slightly disappointed sigh and turned his computer on, checking the chat first to see if anyone was on. It showed that nobody logged in all day to his dismay, and he slumped back in his chair now disgruntled. Great, now there wasn't anything to entertain him at all. No humans are outside, the chatrooms are empty, and his attendant left because the heater wouldn't work to its full potential.

' _What a stupid reason to leave, she could have at least tried to fix it.'_ Izaya thought. Pulling up a couple of tabs containing files on people, he chose to do his work. He didn't know how many hours passed as he did it, but after what seemed like a decade he finished it. It's the first time he caught up on his work in a while, actually. So for the second time, he was truly bored. He glanced around the room, searching for things to do, concluding on getting up and turning on the TV. He stretched his limbs out, liking the way he felt as the muscles relaxed and straightened out. Maybe there was a show on that he could watch, or the news. Though, that's always his last resort. It's not really his _favorite_ channel, but if it would create some noise in the house that would be nice.

He reached for the remote and powered on the television set, the news being the first thing that appeared on screen. The woman spoke at a faster pace than usual, either nervous or in a hurry to get home, the raven couldn't pick out. It was probably both. He settled on leaving it on this channel, as he set the remote down. He walked over to the kitchen and looked in the fridge, listening to the woman at the same time. As he took out a leftover plate of pasta and some orange juice, his gaze switched to the TV when he heard the woman mention "heavy weather" in Shinjuku. His eyes slowly shifted over to the window. It's not that bad is it? Like, it can't be-

Izaya's eyes widened at the sight. It wasn't snowing lightly with snowflakes, the sky clear and the air frosty. No, it was a _**storm**_ out there. He couldn't even tell the placement of any of the buildings or sidewalks -it was too unclear. The snow was pouring down harshly, wind whipping around and hitting trees, making the smallest ones topple over. How long had he been on his computer for? Surely a long time. There's no way a blizzard could be hitting so hard so _quickly_.

All of the sudden the lights went out. It was pitch black. The woman got cut short when the TV's power cut off. The male knew he had no candles or flashlights. He was never prepared for this sort of thing. The power always came back in a few seconds anyways.

…..But it never did. The lights never came back on, the electricity was still _out_. He opted for thinking positive, and ignored the darkness of the room. He was still hungry though, so he ate his leftover meal anyways, even though it was cold. Just to get something in his stomach. After that was through, he took out his phone for the small amount of light it was able to give off. At least he wouldn't trip over anything. But he noticed it was becoming gradually colder in his apartment. Ah….no electricity meant no heater, that's right.

Well, so he has to walk upstairs and retrieve a blanket. What's the harm in that?

 _ **THUD**_

Izaya jumped a foot, eyes looking around in the darkness warily. He can't see anything, but what could've made that noise? Nothing, probably. He was the only person in this house. Though It still….wasn't comfortable. He decided not to dwell on it for too long. So he continued his journey upstairs, using his phone to light the staircases so he doesn't stumble over any steps. Once upstairs, he made his way to his room and opened the door to shiver. His room was especially colder than downstairs, shoes stepping on cold floorboards as he swiftly tore the blanket off the perfectly made bed. He zipped up his jacket and put his hoodie on, instantly wrapping himself in his soft blanket.

"That's a little better…." The raven breathed out in relief. He reached his hand out from under the blanket just enough to light the floor again with his phone. It didn't help to see that his battery was near dead, but he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He walked back downstairs, listening to the sound of his feet patter against the wood as he made his way to the couch. He curled up on the furniture, trying to scoop up as much warmth as possible. He looked at his phone to see a flashing red bar before watching it shut down. He set it down on the table next to him and attempted to get some shut eye. He turned to the side on the couch and closed his eyes.

 _ **THUD**_

Izaya's eyes shot open and he sat up. Guess he wasn't getting any sleep anytime soon.

 _ **THUD THUD THUD**_

"What is that…?" The raven looked in the direction of the sound; the window. He stared at it to see what was causing the noise. A blurry ball suddenly came into contact with the glass, startling Izaya. He squinted, trying to make out the figure. Until another one crashed against the window.

 _ **THUD**_

So…..it was _**hail**_. As far as Izaya knew, hail can get bigger. It can get harder.

It can _break things_.

He swallowed a lump in his throat, somehow forgetting how to breath in the process. How does one do it? Breath in….breath out….

Yeah, that's right. He's got it now.

However, his heart always seems to stop when one of those _death balls_ hit the window. He would go rigid when a noise or presence would make itself known somewhere in his house. The informant broker clutched his blanket tight, pulling it around him more. It's getting _colder_. It's getting _darker_. He shuffled to the end of the couch, huddling up into a ball-

 _ **SNAP**_

He froze. Did a spring go loose in his couch? Did his _couch break!?_ He didn't even want to check! But….he didn't want his couch broken. So he carefully leaned over the side of his couch and looked under it to come face to face with- _**A RAT!?**_ Izaya leapt back into the couch and dove into his pocket frantically. Feeling the cool metal on his hands, he took out his pocket knife and flicked it open. The rat was out from under the couch now, it was staring at him across from the room. He pointed it threateningly at the rodent, hands trembling slightly.

"Don't…go near me!" he yelled. It all went unnoticed by the rat though, as it only crawled closer to the raven. It made his skin crawl, and he scooted back to the other side of the couch.

"Leave me alone…!" He jabbed the air between the rat and him with his knife. The animal took a step back…and then scurried away. Izaya breathed out in relief and lowered his head onto his knees. His hand dropped to his side, still clenching the metal handle with all his might; knuckles white.

"…..Heh…" He chuckled. Why was he so scared of a _rat_ of all things? It was so silly. There was no reason to be scared of it. So why?

"Why did I feel so uneasy...? Hehe….how stupid. Have I really stooped down to such low levels?" His small chuckling continued, before it turned into full blown out laughter. He didn't know why he was scared, why he was laughing, why he was so _tense_ right now. The laughter came to a stop, eventually. It's just so….empty in his apartment. So dark. So _**alone**_. Even the slightest noise was unsettling, making his heart stop in an instant. It was different…being in a place freezing as hell, darkness creeping around him as he sat there idly. He looked at the window and noticed that halfway up it was blocked with snow.

 _ **Was he going to die?**_

Soon enough the whole window will be covered. His whole apartment caved in by snow. He'll have no way to get out. So he was going to die, wasn't he?

"…I don't want to die….not yet…" He pulled the blanket over his head, trying to warm himself up even more. He doesn't want to die now. Not here, without anyone near him. Without anyone noticing he's gone. He still has so many things to do. So many people to still watch. So many chases he has to have with Shizuo.

"Shizu-chan….I don't wanna die here…you still have to kill me, remember? If I die, it has to be…by your hands..." Izaya almost whispered. His breathing was starting to become a bit ragged. No one was there to listen to him. He's been talking to himself this whole time. And he may be talking to himself for his last words, at this rate.

"I don't….I don't want to die alone…." Oh god, he really didn't want to die alone. It's such a horrible way to go. It seemed to be coming at a fast pace, though.

 _ **CRACK**_

Izaya bolted up and pointed his blade towards the noise. No chances will be taken. Though, now looking a bit closer…the glass was **cracked**. Wait, can glass even crack under snow? Izaya sighed and rolled his eyes at himself.

"Well no shit…Sherlock.." It _was_ right in front of him, so it's definitely proven. Not that it reassured his chances of survival at all. If something cracks, it's breaking later on. And letting snow into his apartment wasn't on his agenda for the evening. He pulled back and curled against the cushions of the couch again. Maybe he can try sleeping again. Feeling himself drift away….finally getting some relaxation for the day…

 _ **THUD**_

 _ **CRACK**_

He jumped in his seat, interrupted as he was right on the edge of falling asleep.

 _ **THUD**_

Izaya held his hands over his ears, not caring that he accidentally cut his cheek with his knife, it still being held onto in the middle of his palm for dear life.

 _ **H**_

His eyes widened in horror, not daring to look at the window now. Because it….

It just _**broke**_ , didn't it? That fucking cracked part of his window broke. Hail probably hit directly, and broke right through it. Now there's probably snow coming in slowly. But it doesn't matter how long it will take, because if he's trapped in here, it could take a _year_ and he would still die of hypothermia.

At that last thought, he completely lost it. He squeezed his eyes shut, wrapping the whole blanket around his body tightly. Someone _please_ come for him. He doesn't want to be alone anymore. He needs someone right now. Someone warm. Just _someone_.

"….Help me…"

* * *

The walk to Shinjuku was quite treacherous. The wind was loud and harsh, hitting against Shizuo's coat and messing up his hair. The snow was in deep too, it's a good thing he has a tall frame. Anyone smaller than him would be in trouble. And…that didn't sound very good considering he was trying to bring back _Izaya_.

"I'm can't believe I'm even doing this. Dammit Shinra...I'm going kill you when I get back," he barked.

It took longer than he expected, but he eventually came across the informant broker's apartment. Or rather, what _looks_ to be it. Half of it was piled with snow already, which wasn't a good sign. He walked over to a stop sign and pulled it out of the ground. Then, jogging to where he suspected the entryway of the place to be, he used the stop sign to shovel the snow out of the way. With his strength he cleared the entrance of the building easily, and went inside.

It was as cold inside as it was outside. With the electricity off there was no way he could use the elevators either. So he used his phone to light the path towards the stairs. Coming to the door, he opened it and used his special shortcut he learned in chasing Izaya: Using the rails to boost him up. It made it twice as fast to get upstairs.

Once he got onto the right level, he instantly knew what door number was the ravens'.

"I know his door number way too well…." he commented, stopping at the correct door and opening it. He walked into the pitch black room carefully. Who knows if the sly flea could just pop out of nowhere and slice his neck open? Shizuo highly doubted that was it though, feeling the coldness of the room and…wait -now that he shone his phone light on it was that a _cracked window_? The snow's coming in steadily too. He needs to get the stupid informant broker out of there _fast._

"Flea! Come out here!" The bartender yelled into the darkness.

No response.

The blonde sighed and decided to look for the man himself. He walked around and started shining his light everywhere. The tables, the floor, upstairs, the couc-

Wait, was that _him?_ That small lump on the couch that's slowly moving up and down and…..yeah that's him. The guy can smell him from where he's standing.

Shizuo stood next to the couch. "Oi, flea."

He heard a groan and the lump turned to him, showing that it was indeed Izaya, and that he did _not_ look well. "Why are you here..?" he said irritated. _'Anyone_ _ **but**_ _Shizu-chan would've been nice, thanks.'_ The man thought.

"I'm here to take you back to Shinra's." Shizuo answered calmly.

Izaya stared at him with a straight face for a moment before turning away. "Fuck you, I'd rather die."

So…it's gonna be the hard way, huh? Alright, fine.

Shizuo cracked his knuckles. Bring it on.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, how was that? Turns out some people have hidden fears, ohuhuhu~ ╭〻◕`w´◕〻╮ ( _sorrynotsorryforIzayahahaha_ )


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Y'all are too sweet honestly. Writing these chapters is so much fun! Especially when I know someone likes them. (´ω`)~

 _To ivyshadow13: Thank you! I'm so glad I made you happy with my fast update! I had a long weekend off so I wrote my butt off instead of being with my family haha….so maybe future chapters won't be so quick. But I won't let work stop me!_

 _To inlovewithshizaya: Your review made me laugh! XD I'd fire Namie too, honestly rats are scary. But yes, I do feel bad for Izaya ;v; He hides so many things…_

Onto the story~ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

* * *

CHAPTER 3: Deal With Me

Shizuo chuckled. "Hard way it is then." He took a menacing step towards Izaya. Who scooted away and pointed his knife out.

"What do you mean…protozoan?" The raven asked uneasily.

"I mean…. _this!_ " He reached out and roughly pulled the blanket off the male. The informant broker instantly curled up into a ball, pulling the hood over his head. Shizuo's eyes widened in astonish, noticing that Izaya was…. _shivering_. Dark red eyes glared at him from under a fur lined hood.

"S-So, Shizu-chan…wants to watch me freeze to death…huh?" Izaya chuckled, hands shooting up to his mouth as it developed into a coughing fit. The blonde heaved a sigh and pulled the scarf off of him, cautiously walking over to the raven and wrapping it around his neck. It earned him a stunned look from the male before he harshly took it off and threw it in the ex-bartender's face. "Like hell I'm gonna wear a scarf a beast gave me!" Shizuo slowly pulled the cloth off his face, clenching it tightly in his hands.

"You…have _no idea_ how hard it is for me _not_ to kill you right now," he said through grit teeth.

Izaya looked at him directly in the eyes, an unusually intense gaze coming from him. "Then kill me. It's not like I won't die in here anyways." The cold tone leaking from his voice made Shizuo raise an eyebrow. "You're awfully pessimistic when you're alone, aren't you?"

The raven's eyes narrowed. "You don't know a _thing_ about me."

The blonde crouched down in front of the other. "Then why don't you talk about yourself for once?"

Izaya giggled at that. "Silly Shizu-chan, no one wants to know about me. Why bother?" He faked a smile. _'There's that mask again.'_ Shizuo internally stated. He brought his hand up to Izaya's cheek and started pulling on it.

"Ow! Owww! Shizu-chan stop that-!" The male whined, clawing at the others' hand to pry it off. After a few tugs, the ex-bartender let go and wrapped the scarf around Izaya once more, standing up. He looked down at the informant broker and stated calmly, "I want to know more about you. This experience has shown me that you _possibly_ aren't just a cocky, sadistic flea. Of course, I still hate you. But this side of you is more tolerable than your usual self."

Izaya gazed up at him in shock. For a brief second, his cheeks tinged pink before he adjusted the scarf and pouted. "You never make any sense, Shizu-chan. Either hate me or don't." Shizuo opened his mouth to retort until the male stopped him. " _But~_ Maybe I'll let you know more about me if you promise to hate me forever and ever. Kay?" He smiled honestly this time, holding out his pinky to the blonde.

The taller male looked at his pinky and back at the flea. What a weird request. "What the hell is this?"

"It's a pinky promise! You gotta do it, Shizu-chan~! I won't take no for an answer!" The raven chimed.

Shizuo sighed and hooked his pinky with the others'. "Obviously I'll hate you for the rest of my life. So don't think anything of this, okay? You're still a rotten flea." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked to the door, waiting for the other to follow.

Izaya hopped off of the couch and stuffed the knife into his pocket, skipping over to Shizuo. "And you're still a monstrous protozoan~" he sang as they both headed out the door.

* * *

"Dammit flea, stop it!" Shizuo shouted as he got hit with –yes, another snowball. They've been walking back for a while now, and in this time…..Izaya has been a complete _annoyance_. He turned back to spot the raven preparing another ball of cold snow to throw. "I thought you were gonna act differently! Didn't we make a promise!?" Izaya brought his arm back and hurled the ball forward happily, this time being dodged easily by the ex-bartender.

"This _is_ how I always act! You've just never seen me upset, Shizu-chan~" he giggled, trotting up to Shizuo joyfully.

Shizuo rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. "So you're like _that_ whenever you get upset?" he grumbled, referring to his attitude back at his apartment. The other male looked to the side, smile fading only slightly.

"Well, I don't really know actually. Just back there….it sort of felt like the world was ending, I guess. I was ready to accept death right then and there." Half of that was true. But it's not like he's gonna admit that. Especially to the monster of Ikebukuro. He got a confused look from the blonde after that statement.

"So….you _are_ a bitchy flea when you're upset." The taller male said casually. He felt a tug on his coat sleeve and saw that Izaya was trying to pull him into the snow.

"You're one to talk! Go die you stupid ex-bartender! I hope you suffocate in the snow!" He shouted angrily. _'Is this really the louse…?'_ Shizuo thought. He snickered and pushed Izaya off him, causing the informant broker to stumble and fall into the cold. That made the blonde laugh.

"Wow, so you really are clumsy," he said, looking at Izaya as the male got up and brushed the snow off of him grumpily.

"Shove a boot up your ass, beast." The raven huffed, running his hands over his arms trying to warm up. That push was _so_ unnecessary. The "beast" merely laughed again, which made a vein pop in Izaya's head.

"Who knew you could be so humorous, louse?" He would normally be furious at these insults, but seeing his usually sly rival all pissed off was really quite enjoyable. He proceeded in walking again. "Let's not stand around here for too long, though. The weather may get worse."

Izaya just crossed his arms and looked away, walking alongside the man anyways. "Whatever."

Shizuo glanced at the younger male for a moment. That face was actually kind of cute.

 _ **WAIT.**_

Did he actually think that this _mischievous_ , little flea was _**cute**_!? He's officially gone insane. This trip has officially made him _insane_. Maybe he can clear his mind a little. So, he casually walked over to a random pole and started banging his head on it. This'll purify his thoughts, right? It'll _help_ him right!?

"Um….Shizu-chan..?" He heard Izaya carefully call out to him. The man turned around grinning, dribbles of blood falling down his face.

"What is it, I-za-ya-?"

The long droned out syllables didn't affect the informant broker at all, he simply just gathered up some ice in his hands and slapped it on Shizuo's forehead. "You should take care of that injury, stupid. What's with banging your head on a pole? You must be dumber than I thought."

The ex-bartender blinked a few times and felt his face heat up a bit. He tore the others' hand off his head quickly. "Don't touch me, bastard!" But that shout still didn't do anything to him. Izaya just sighed and stuffed his hands back into his coat.

"I was just trying to keep you from dying of blood loss. Buuut, I guess a monster like you works differently, so fine. Your face is a bit red though, is the cold getting to you Shizu-chan~?" He teased, sticking his tongue out playfully.

"Let's get back now. It's gonna be dark soon." Shizuo took his fist and bumped Izaya on the head with it, getting a whine out of the raven.

"Ow, no fair~ You just dodged my question!" But no matter. He smiled and waited until the blonde turned his back, before jumping onto it and hooking his arms around the guy's neck. "If you're so caught up in getting there, then carry me~!" He sang happily.

Shizuo was having none of it though, and he pulled on the raven's hair to try and pry him off. It wasn't doing much, as the man just clung on tighter making it hard to breath for the taller male. He tried jabbing the flea with his elbows, and spinning around to make him dizzy, but none of it worked.

"The more you struggle the tighter I hold on, Shizu-chan~!"

"Damn pest, I'm not gonna carry you!"

"Then try to get back home as I throw snowballs at you and try making you suffocate in the snow~"

"…..I could kill you right now…"

"But you're not, right? Because Shrina has to make sure I'm safe~!"

Shizuo groaned in discomfort and anger. He hooked his arms under the raven's legs and started walking through the snow. Izaya hummed happily as they made their way down the city.

* * *

The walk from there on was really peaceful for the blonde. After the smelly louse demanded to be carried he was surprisingly tolerable. Sure, he still talked quite a bit. But all he really did was just point out things around him and just…..entertain himself.

" _Shizu-chan, look how white the snow is! Isn't that cool~?"_

" _Shizu-chan, it's snowing pretty hard but you're making it look easy~ No fair!"_

" _Shizu-chan, I wonder if all the kitties are okay out here. They must be cold~"_

It wasn't as bad as Shizuo thought it would be. Especially since at one point he stopped talking in general. The male didn't pay much attention to it though, now that they were finally at Shinra's door. He knocked on it with his foot and waited. Soon enough the door opened and Walker appeared.

"Oh, Shizuo! Come on in!" He let the two males into the living room and shut the door after.

The blonde walked into the living room to find that it was all lit up with candles, a small kerosene heater in the middle of it all. He suddenly heard a squeal to the right of him, turning his head to see Erika holding her phone with a flushed face.

"So cute~! Iza-Iza fell asleep on Shizu-Shizu's back~!"

Shizuo looked behind him at Izaya. "Oh, so that's why he fell silent halfway through the trip. Yo, flea. Get off, we're here." He shook Izaya on his back, making red irises open up slowly before slamming shut.

"Ngh, too tired…sleep more…" He shifted on the others' back and dozed off once more.

"Hey! Don't fall back asleep! I don't wanna smell like you, get off!" Shizuo complained. Everyone in the living room laughed at the scene before them. He just muttered something under his breath and went over to the couch, flopping down on it. He leaned back into the cushions, ignoring the groans of pain coming from the informant broker on his back.

"Rgh-! S-Shizu-chan sit up! I'm getting crushed here!" Izaya whined.

"I'm sorry, weren't you sleeping?" Shizuo asked all-too-innocently.

"I'll wake up, I'll wake up! Just lean forward so my lungs are spared you ass!" He started pounding on the ex-bartenders' back.

"Hmm….should I…?" He thought deeply on that. Kill the flea here, now that he brought him back? Or spare him.

Shinra ran over worriedly. "Don't kill him yet, Shizuo! Hold off on that for now!" The raven's eyes squinted at the doctor. _'For now!?'_ But after a minute passed, Shizuo got up and Izaya unlatched himself from the man, lying down on the couch in relief.

Shinra looked down at Izaya and back at Shizuo. "He seems a bit…upset today. Something happen?"

"The devilish beast." Izaya said.

"Bad day." Shizuo said.

They both glared at each other for a few minutes, before they rolled their eyes and turned away. The others in the room laughed at that. Maybe this storm won't be so bad after all. For everyone apart from the two enemies that is. Celty typed in her PDA and showed it to the ex-bartender.

 **["Shinra told me you and Izaya hung out a lot in high school, is this true?"]**

Shizuo clicked his tongue. "Actually, yeah. Though, half the time I was chasing him around the whole damn campus. He was a loner back then; quieter. Definitely easier to handle, but still the hardest to catch. He would always sit on top of the roof with a juice box, and comment about how much he loves watching the world develop and shift."

"And once I told Shizu-chan that his power was inhuman and beast-like, that's when he started hating me~ Such a shame, too~" The raven added.

Shizuo stomped the ground and felt his eyebrow twitch. "No, it's because I found out he was sending yakuza members after me so he could _'test my strength'_!" Everyone in the room gasped.

"Woah, seriously!?" Walker said in shock.

"So, even back _then_ he was in cahoots with gangs." Kadota spoke.

Izaya sat up and crossed his legs, resting his chin in the palm of his hands. "Well, I had to find _some way_ to entertain myself in my boring school life~ And Shizu-chan was the most interesting out of all the students!"

"And Izaya was the most annoying out of all the students." Shizuo concluded.

"Aw, you flatter me~!"

"It's called an insult, trash."

The doctor sighed and hugged Celty. "Darling, please help me find peace in this time of year! I'm not sure if I can handle this bickering of theirs all throughout the storm…" Celty patted him on the head and quickly put something into her PDA, showing it to him.

 **["There, there. I'll make sure they don't tear anything up or be** _ **too**_ **loud."]**

Shinra wrapped himself around Celty and began rubbing his cheek on hers. "I love you~! I love you so much~!"

After his little session with his girlfriend, Shinra stretched and waved to everyone in the room. "I'm going to get some nice beauty sleep in my room. Mikado and the others are sleeping in the guest room so everybody please get along, and _quietly_. Okay? Night~" The doctor yawned and waltzed into his room to sleep.

Celty pressed a few keys in her device and showed it specifically to the two enemies. The taller was currently pinning down the raven, fist up in the air and ready to punch.

 **["Like Shinra said,** _ **get along**_ **.** _ **Quietly**_ **. No fighting you two!"]**

They opened their mouths to protest, but Celty threatened to use her scythe on them and they shut up.

Oh, is it going to be a looong storm.

* * *

 **A/N:** I really do love Erika, because she's basically the anime version of me in there. But I'm trying to make their character development go at a steady pace, so I have to hold back on the teasing couple-y stuff for now~ (･ω･;)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Freaking school man, that's all I gotta say….it's keeping me from my one job! ;^;

* * *

CHAPTER 4:

It's the second day into the storm. It was morning and everyone was sleeping peacefully, compared to yesterday. The kerosene heater was a great idea, but it could only last so long. They needed to conserve power. Due to that, it unfortunately had to be turned off before they went to sleep. In the guest room; the trio was sleeping soundly. As were the doctor and his lover in their own room, while Kadota and the others fell asleep on the couches. The two rivals decided to _both_ night watch -to make sure the other doesn't try anything funny- and ended up falling asleep on each other's backs trying to do so. It would have been a nice sleep, napping out the storm and future happenings.

But a blood curling laugh woke everyone up _instantly_.

A door opened quietly and Anri stepped out of the guest room sleepily. "What…was that..?"

Erika sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Sounds like someone went crazy…"

Shizuo opened one of his eyes, obviously irritated by the noise interrupting his sleep. He cracked his neck to the side and noticed that there's something weighing on his back, looking behind him he scowled at the sight. He pushed the flea forward onto the ground, emitting a groan of pain from the raven as he rubbed his head tiredly. "Oww….what the hell, Shizu-chan?"

The blonde stood up and stretched, smelling his arms and clothes suspiciously. "Ew, I smell like the flea. I hope I don't get infected with his cocky attitude anytime soon," he said ignoring the male, to the others' dismay. A bit curious of what that noise earlier was, he walked over to the window near where Kadota was still sleeping. He pulled away the blinds, Izaya popping up behind him to peek as well.

The visual before them was….weird. A man was currently standing in the middle of the cold snow, laughing to himself. He paced back and forth, mouth moving at an incredibly fast pace. Staying out in the cold like that, how long has he been there? He would die of hypothermia eventually, right? The man isn't dressed for the weather at all. He started talking to himself again, spinning around and staring at the sky with a scary glint in his eyes. But suddenly stopped and went back inside a building of what they assumed to be his "shelter". By this time, everyone else has crowded around now.

"Even acting like this, humans are still so beautiful~" Izaya hummed.

"He's acting exactly like you, fleabag." Shizuo retorted.

"Oh Shizu-chan, I'm flattered you know me so well~" He winked. To which he earned a punch in the face, startling Shrina.

"G-Guys, get along!" He spat.

Izaya rubbed where he got hit and cursed under his breath, muttering bloody murder as he stomped to the front door and left. Masaomi and Mikado stared at the door in shock. "Woah, did Izaya just leave…?" Mikado asked, a bit nerved.

"Maybe he can't handle being stuck in the same confined space with Shizuo for too long." Masaomi answered.

Shizuo clicked his tongue. "Leave him to die outside. I sure as hell ain't calming him down." A hand settled itself nicely on his shoulder, and he looked behind him to see the doctor firmly looking at him. "Shizuo, go after him."

"What? There's no way in-"

"You're the only one that can calm him down, Shizuo." Shinra said a bit more sternly.

"What…? How?" His eyes were wide in surprise.

"You just have that…. _magic_ to you, I guess. But whenever he was upset, you made him smile again, right? _Unintentionally_ of course." The man got a small grunt in reply, watching as the tall male stalled for a moment. He stood there, hesitantly thinking it over before breathing out.

"…..Fine. But don't blame me if he comes back with a few scars, kay?"

"Of course not." Shinra said laughing a little. But a whistle was heard near the kitchen, interrupting the two men. They looked over and spotted Erika staring at the sink in disappointment.

"Well, while you're out there might as well get some snow for water, too. The pipes are frozen." She pulled out two huge pots, holding them out to the ex-bartender. "Here, use these. Iza-Iza should work too." At that, the man grinned and took them with him easily. He walked off to the door, and before heading off he simply said, "Oh, I'll make him work alright." and left.

* * *

Shizuo has been looking for the informant broker for about an hour now. Still nowhere to be seen, and he's pretty sure the man couldn't have gone far. There is still a storm out here, and even if it isn't falling as heavily as in Shinjuku with hail and all, it's still too big.

"God, where did that flea go? He's just trying to get himself killed, huh…." He rounded a street corner, deciding to go farther into the storm. It was a stupid idea, considering that since it's his rival he shouldn't be _doing this._ However, Shinra is letting him take shelter there so the least he can do is keep the louse alive for the guy. He was his " _friend"_ after all.

"Aw, who's a good kitty? Yeah, you're just a little softie, aren't you ya cutie?" The ex-bartender heard a laugh, and a voice that was all-too-familiar. It seems he found who he's looking for. Now, he just has to turn into the alleyway like so, and bring the man ba-

…Wait, is he cuddling _a_ _cat?_

"Ahaha~ And to think you were acting all tough earlier. You're just like Shizu-chan~" The male giggled.

 _Giggled._ With an **_innocent_** smile on his face.

How can something so impossible be right before his eyes? And did he hear that wrong or was he just compared to a cat? A _cute_ cat? Ugh…that doesn't sit well with him. Izaya Orihara was sitting down, cuddling a cat in the alleyway, and giggling with it as he played with its paws.

 ** _He's playing with its paws how is that not cute it's so not cute it's not fair._**

Shizuo cleared his throat. **"** Oi."

Izaya nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice, obviously startled from the way he was looking at the other. "S-Shizu-chan!"

"I didn't know you liked cats."

The raven looked down at the feline and ran his fingers through its fur. "Well this kitty was just all alone in the cold, and his fur is so matted and rough. He needs a bath and some food too. He weighs so little it's quite unbelievable actually. Hey, Shizu-chan…don't cats find their group to stay with? Why was this one left out, all alone and bearing everything on his own? It's….not fair." The man's smile was sad, it was unusual. Did the flea actually _care_ about a living organism for once?

"Maybe he wasn't accepted by the other cats. So he's searching for the one who will be by his side forever, the one who's different from everyone else. Even if it means sacrificing his life to wait for the other. Even if that special one-and-only is a total fleabag, at least he's not alone. At least someone will accept him for who he is." He calmly stated, looking into the sky distantly.

"My, my, you're such a poet Shizu-chan." Izaya teased.

His eyes flickered to red ones in embarrassment. "S-Shut up!"

"Was that perhaps related to you, maybe?"

"As if!"

"An indirect flirt, then~?"

"All I hold is inner hate for you, louse." More like outer hate.

The other let the cat scurry off as he stood up laughing to himself. It's lighter, not as sinister as he normally laughs. This went one for a full 30 seconds before he stopped, "Mmn, I hear you loud and clear. We can head back now." And he sincerely smiled.

And for just a second, a _teeny weeny_ second, the blonde felt something in him flutter. He doesn't want to think of what caused it, or why he finds himself slightly enjoying that smile on the informant broker's face, so he instead pushes the thought out entirely.

 _Poof. Gone._

Shizuo held out one of the pans he was requested to bring to Izaya, now focused on the job they currently have to do. The raven looked at him in question, not understanding why he was being handed a piece of kitchenware.

"The pipes are frozen. Take this and work with me to gather some snow for water to heat up." He found himself being amused as he watched the male's expression change to annoyance. His eyes were squinted, staring at the pan as if it was some nuclear bomb.

"Do you think I'm a slave, Shizu-chan? It'll take _hours_ to gather enough water for a pot of pasta at the least," he stated coldly.

The ex-bartender is finding himself liking how easy it is to irritate Izaya. The guy hasn't been all happy-go-lucky or bubbly lately. Probably because there are no humans around to observe, not to mention his apartment got caved in. He's _perhaps_ starting to tolerate this flea a bit more now. Though, the "want you dead" thing is still at the top of his mind. But that still doesn't keep him from laughing a bit.

"It's better us than no one, right? Deal with it." He forced the pan onto the raven before walking back, seeing him sighing in disappointment but follow him anyways. Shizuo knelt down on the ground near the front of the doctor's residency, taking the pan and just scooping up a large amount of snow easily. He looked behind him to notice Izaya kneeling down as well, but using his hands to pick up snow and dropping it into the pan.

 _'Geez, isn't he an informant broker? Where's his wonderfully clever common sense now?'_ Shizuo thought before walking over and taking the pan away.

"Hey! I was using that, you know!" The raven growled. It didn't affect the other much, as he scooped another easy pile of snow with the other pan and handed it back to Izaya.

"See? It's that simple. Use your brain for things other than trouble."

"Hypocrite." Izaya stuck his tongue out at the male and stood up, heading back to the apartment.

Thus, this was the signal that cued a snowball fight to ensue.

* * *

They ended up in Shinra's kitchen, snow having melted on their clothes making them soaking wet and freezing. Currently being scolded by Celty for completely forgetting about getting snow for water, making Kadota's group go out in replacement.

 **["Now tell me, why are you two wet!?"]**

The informant broker pointed to the male beside him. "I-It was Shizu-chans' fault!" He accused; shivering.

"Aren't you the one that always starts shit, Izaya?" Masaomi pointed out from the couch.

The raven attempted to jump on top of the counter and bolt over to strangle the kid, but Shizuo instantly grabbed the hood of his coat and yanked him back. "You little-! Shizu-chan let me go so I can stab him! _Let me go let me go let me go let me go!"_ Izaya started flailing his arms around to escape, forgetting that there was _no way_ he could escape such a strong hold. The act was childish, causing Shizuo to sigh.

"You see, kid? He's not in the mood for playing around, so I suggest you don't rile him up."

Masaomi shrugged and put his hands behind his head calmly. "Whatever, I can take him on."

Izaya's eye twitched in annoyance and he reached into his pocket, taking out his knife. Figuring out a way to escape the blondes' grip, he tried to take off his coat. "You know what…"

Before the male could make another move, the ex-bartender picked him up and threw the man over his shoulder. "Please excuse us for a sec. May I use the guest room?" Celty typed into her PDA and showed him.

 **["Go ahead. I think he needs to calm down."]**

The raven yelled, using his knife to continuously stab Shizuo's back. "Shizu-chan, what the hell!? Don't carry me! Fucking. Put. Me. **_Down!"_**

The blonde carried him into the guest room and closed the door, dropping him onto the bed. He crouched down in front of the other. "You need to learn to control your temper," he stated firmly.

"Says the one with anger issues." Izaya retorted.

"Look, I'm trying to be _nice_ to you here." The tone of Shizuo's voice dropped a pitch.

"I never asked you to be."

"Listen louse, I'm the _only_ one who's respected you this entire time. I'm **_trying_** to understand you!" He slammed his fist on the bed, shaking it slightly.

All it did was make Izaya look at the man suspiciously. "Understand me…. Why…?"

"Somebody has to, even if it's your enemy. Because even though I'm not human…I have a heart. And I still shed an _ounce_ of concern for my opponents whether I want to or not."

The informant brokers' eyes lowered. "Shizu-chan, you're human. Humans _can_ act like monsters you know."

"Why…are you telling me that?" Shizuo questioned warily.

The raven's lips curled into a small smile. "It's not like anyone has told you yet. So someone has to, right?"

The ex-bartender chuckled for a moment. "To think the flea would be saying this to me…. It's just making him –unfortunately- likeable." He whispered to himself.

"Hm? What was that?"

His gaze switched back to the males' in a second. "Nothing. Go kill yourself."

"Wha-!?"

"Oh, you're surprised that I _threatened_ you?"

"Well, you just haven't threatened me in a while." Izaya pouted.

"So you're a masochist," The blonde concluded

 _'Stupid Shizu-chan, that's not what I meant!'_ Izaya internally shouted. "Go die," he said bluntly.

"Hmm…what was the title that Erika was talking about that acts _'tough on the outside and soft on the inside'_? Oh right, a **tsundere**. I think I've found one." Shizuo poked the other in the head, to which he was swatted away in an instant. "Fuck you."

Shizuo snickered and stood up. "I gotta admit, it's quite amusing irritating you."

Izaya deadpanned at him. "Glad to know you're enjoying my suffering."

"Fine, then let's at least make a deal to get along until the storm passes."

"But I like fighting you."

"…..Why?"

"It's fun." The raven smiled all-too-innocently.

"I…" Shizuo shook his head, just choosing to forget about that. "Whatever, let's make it easier on the doctor, that's all I'm saying."

"If it's for Shin-chan, then I _guess_ I could suffice."

"Good. Then let's promise." The blonde held out his pinky to the other, watching the man's cheeks tinge pink as he stared at it in awe.

"How did you…"

"What, you think I wouldn't remember?"

"Well, not something that **_I_** like."

"You can't tell me what I'm allowed to remember, flea."

Izaya sighed. "I guess not, huh."

"Then let's get along, _Izaya_."

The informant brokers' face just got redder from being called by his actual name, reluctantly bringing his hand out and completing the promise. "Fine." He is not maintaining eye contact with the ex-bartender, _oh no_.

"Oi, you're red in the face, what's up?" Great, he noticed.

"I don't know, the cold is probably getting to me…or something." He got off the bed, now standing up.

"You know it's not cold in here, right? That sentence makes no sense." Shizuo claimed, walking over to the door.

"….Shut up." And the raven followed, both of them opening the door and joining the rest.

They kind of felt like they knew each other a bit better now.

* * *

 **A/N:** I am _SO SORRY_ for this taking so long! School is a slap to the face and sleep, ya know…? Haha…ha… _Ihopeitwasworththewaititprobablysucksimsorry_


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